EVENTS 01732 759725 32 October’s Network Group 2022 Exhibition, Gala & Awards celebrated the power of community and peer learning. James Goulding reports larger organisations when negotiating prices and terms with vendors. Improved buying power is still a major attraction for group members. So too is peer learning and support provided by fellow members and Network Group technology partners through focus groups, workshops, online events and four quarterly face-to-face roadshows/expos. Taking place in January, April, July and October, these gatherings provide members with the opportunity to exchange ideas, gain new skills, learn about key developments in the industry and engage with vendors offering solutions that meet their needs and/or those of their customers. Group members Today, the Network Group membership consists of 80+ technology service providers from across the UK and Ireland, with managed service providers (MSPs) accounting for 90% of the membership and bricks and mortar retailers the remaining 10%. “The average size company has £1.6 million in revenue, they employ 13 people and they manage 1,200 endpoints or seats,” explains Tulip. “My largest customer will be doing £17 million a year and have 100 staff and my smallest will be doing £500,000. But most of them are around that £1-2 million a year mark. It can be lonely running that size of business. “The magic of Network Group is that members can stand up in front of 100 people at one of our events or join 50 people on one of our weekly online calls and say ‘I’m having a nightmare retaining staff; they’re all going to corporates who pay more money. What are you guys doing?’; ‘How are you addressing the cost of living crisis?’; ‘What’s your tech stack?’; ‘How do you price it?’; ‘How do you sleep at night?’. I’ve got some of the best MSPs in the country and probably a few at the other end of the scale and a large number in the middle. The common denominator is that we are all on a journey to improve ourselves and our businesses. Network Group helps members help one another.” Vendor partners To this end, Network Group gives members access to a portfolio of vendor partners that it selects not just for the quality of their solutions and the competitive pricing/ terms/rebates they offer but also for their willingness to buy into the Network Group ethos through in-depth engagement with members. “We want to be treated like a £150 million organisation rather than a £1 million or £2 million organisation, so we’ll drive some great commercials with partners. But just as important as that, we want great engagement from them. We want them to be part of our members’ journeys.” Network Group currently has six distributors and 35 vendors as technology partners, including Pax8, AppRiver, Ingram Micro, Datto/Kaseya, Ci Distribution, Apple, Connectwise, Develop, Fortify, Epson, Exertis, Gamma, Kyocera, Terra Computer, There was a strong rugby theme to Network Group’s 2022 Exhibition, Gala & Awards, from the venue, Twickenham Stadium, to the entertainment, a Q&A session with veterans of the successful 1997 British and Irish Lions tour to South Africa, including Scott Quinnell of Wales, Tim Stimpson of England and Paul Wallace of Ireland, to the awards themselves, which this year took the form of personalised rugby balls. Network Group Managing Director David Tulip told Technology Reseller that the sporting theme was appropriate as Network Group members, like top sports people, recognise the importance of coaching, advice and teamwork for their continued success, with the Lions, especially, embodying the spirit of coming together and sharing knowledge for the greater good. This, he suggests, has been one of the core values of Network Group since it was founded in 1994 (as Network Buying Group) to give smaller technology providers the bargaining power of much Running with the ball MEMBER AWARDS MSP of the Year (>1500 endpoints) Resolution IT MSP of the Year (<1500 endpoints) Node IT Reseller of the Year Utopia Computers Retailer of the Year PCs Made Simple Member Contribution – Support of Partners Aabyss Member Contribution to Group Steven Pretlove – CCS IT PARTNER AWARDS Partner of the Year Terra Computer Biggest Impact New Partner Pax8 Partner Account Manager of the Year Alicia Shepherd – Terra Computer Distribution Account Manager of the Year Peter Graham – Ingram Micro Cloud Partner Value Add Content Delivery Invarosoft Specialist Vendor of the Year KnowBe4 Distributor of the Year Pax8 OTHER AWARDS Inspiring Content of the Year It’s All About the Journey, Rob Boyns Chairman’s Award Wayne Cockerill Team Member of the Year Ann-Marie Harpur Network Group Awards 2022 David Tulip
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